WiFi Mesh System

[HotRod140]

Hi All,
can anyone recommend a simple to program and use WiFi Mesh System for a 1800 Sq Ft. upstairs condo. I am having a problem with my ring doorbell downstairs staying online. Thanks, I was provided an extender from Optimum cable, but it doesn't work that great. The ring Doorbell works fine, when its closer to our router

[PottedPlant]

eero works well for us.
No programming at all.
Various price points and capabilities.
I would buy this https://eero.com/shop/eero-6

[funyun]

We used Orbi when we lived in a 3 story place and needed more range. Worked great.

[anon_investor]

We got a TP Link Wifi 6E one from Costco. We initially tried the Google Nest Wifi Pro, but it was not very good. Thank goodness for Costco's liberal return policy.

[TomatoTomahto]

eero works well for us.
No programming at all.
Various price points and capabilities.
I would buy this https://eero.com/shop/eero-6

+1

[idc]

Get one backed by a large company that is committed to support it with upgrades for many years, knows how to do software, including a decent UI and won't risk going bankrupt.

Most Asian manufacturers are hardware makers, with razor thin margins and little interest in the cost of software support and don't pass a bar for decent software or ongoing multi year upgrades. Eero (backed by Amazon) and Google are good choices from that perspective. Might not have the best performance in various benchmarks, but I don't think you really need that, as the limiting factor will not be your mesh system, but rather your ISP speed.

Others might have different opinions and that is fine. I used to have a Google Mesh for many years, now I own Eero and very happy with it.

[alfaspider]

Also have an Eero. I would never go back to a single point or extender-based Wifi setup. I now get near-perfect Wifi signal anywhere in the house. Never needed to be reset or messed with in 4 years of continuous operation.

[Luke Duke]

I've setup two Deco systems. They both work great.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/deco-mesh-wi ... ct-family/

[earlyout]

Very happy with my eero mesh system -- base unit and 1 satellite. Trouble free and easily supports 1 gb up and down with no dead spots.

[Bagels]

There’s a December 2023 thread on this, too.

I recently set up a TP-Link DECO mesh system for my parents’ balcony and it’s performing well.

[id0ntkn0wjack]

Recently updated to a Linksys Mesh System.

Maybe on sale during October Amazon Days?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B3 ... UTF8&psc=1

[lthenderson]

Another vote for eero which is plug and play. We've had one for probably six or seven years now with no issues other than an occasional text a few times per year to let me know it is updated to the latest version of software.

[fogalog]

I am still using the first generation eero x3. No longer receiving upgrades but still works very well. I use a wired back-haul.

With the release of the eero 7, there are some excellent deals on BRAND NEW eero 6 units to be had on ebay right now. Of course it's ebay, so caveat emptor, etc.

[HotRod140]

Thanks Everyone

Looks like I will try the EERO 6 Plus

[SubPar]

We got a TP Link Wifi 6E one from Costco. We initially tried the Google Nest Wifi Pro, but it was not very good. Thank goodness for Costco's liberal return policy.

We have the same one. Works well. One router (node?) on each level of our ~3,800 sq. ft. home.

[protagonist]

eero works well for us.
No programming at all.
Various price points and capabilities.
I would buy this https://eero.com/shop/eero-6

Same here.

[Horologium]

We got a TP Link Wifi 6E one from Costco. We initially tried the Google Nest Wifi Pro, but it was not very good. Thank goodness for Costco's liberal return policy.

This is the system we have.

Our house is 80 years old and has lath and plaster walls which do a "great" job of blocking wifi signals. I bought three devices which did a great job for most of the house, but the downstairs was still spotty, so I added a fourth device down there which did the trick.

They were very easy to set up and connect. Range is terrific. As a matter of fact, I am sitting outside on our deck right now and the signal is at max strength.

[snic]

I've been happy with the Netgear Orbi I bought a few years ago. Excellent coverage and super fast. I do use a wired connection between the nodes, but if you get a model with wireless backhaul it will probably be just as good.

I chose Netgear because even though you can adjust settings with an app, it is not required (you can log in from inside the local network using the web interface instead). I did not want to have to allow access to the router from outside the local network, which is a security hazard.

[anon_investor]

We got a TP Link Wifi 6E one from Costco. We initially tried the Google Nest Wifi Pro, but it was not very good. Thank goodness for Costco's liberal return policy.

This is the system we have.

Our house is 80 years old and has lath and plaster walls which do a "great" job of blocking wifi signals. I bought three devices which did a great job for most of the house, but the downstairs was still spotty, so I added a fourth device down there which did the trick.

They were very easy to set up and connect. Range is terrific. As a matter of fact, I am sitting outside on our deck right now and the signal is at max strength.

We have an older house too and the fiber internet comes in from our basement, so I hardwired back haul the unit from my basement to a unit on our first floor and the 3rd unit is on wireless back haul on our 2nd floor. Our entire 3 story house + basement gets great wifi signal. We even get great signal on our deck and most of our yard. If TP Link ever sells a Wifi 6E outdoor unit, I may get one to grt full coverage at the very edges of my yard.

[DSBH]

Very satisfied with our Linksys Velop MX4200 mesh system, 3 nodes for a 4,500 sqft house - a good review including alternatives for a smaller house here - https://dongknows.com/linksys-velop-mx4 ... er-review/

[hunoraut]

I've setup two Deco systems. They both work great.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/deco-mesh-wi ... ct-family/

I also have 2 TP Link Deco systems. Works an absolute treat. 99.99999% reliability. Insanely easy to set up.

Those are probably the 2 most important characteristic for most users. Forget about speed benchmarks and 'objective' reviews that center around those measurements. That is only relevant for those specific bench scenarios and configurations. How you configure your setup (eg wired vs wireless backhaul) for your environment has bigger impact on end result.

DECO: Full modularity. Can add any other Deco units (of different models) to extend the network. Any Deco can be designated as main or satellite (not hardware restricted). Ports auto-detect so any of them can act as WAN or LAN. etc

[lazydavid]

We got a TP Link Wifi 6E one from Costco. We initially tried the Google Nest Wifi Pro, but it was not very good. Thank goodness for Costco's liberal return policy.

Interesting. My Google Wifi worked great for 6 years or so, and replaced it earlier this year with Nest Wifi Pro, which I'm also quite happy with. Literally the only issue I've ever noticed is variable latency on devices put into a device group so you can control them together (ie, shut kid's stuff off at bedtime). Once devices are removed from the group, they work perfectly all the time.

[lunch_money]

I don’t think I saw Synology mentioned. It’s worked very well for me, and I believe has a privacy benefit over some of the other options.

Wired backhaul is the most important part of a mesh system (wired ethernet connections between nodes). You can use MoCA devices to turn existing TV cable wiring into Ethernet cables.

[Chuckles960]

The Deco PX50 does all the things other Decos do and has wifi6, but it has an additional backhaul method through the power lines. The G.hn powerline protocol is far superior and so reports of older experiences saying "powerline does not work" are likely not relevant. In any case, powerline backhaul is in addition to wifi backhaul.

Of course, if you have ethernet backhaul, powerline is unnecessary; but hardly anyone does. Decades ago (pre-good-wifi) I recall a few homes for sale saying they were wired for ethernet. For those who still have such wiring, it really helps with mesh systems.

[physics911]

What is going on that you need a mesh system for 1800 sq. ft.? I mean, yeah it might help, but you really shouldn't need it for that size unless your house is 10' wide and 180' long with the router on one end.

With that said, Eero is good as others have pointed out, but I went with Asus ZenWiFi and it works like a champ.

[anon_investor]

We got a TP Link Wifi 6E one from Costco. We initially tried the Google Nest Wifi Pro, but it was not very good. Thank goodness for Costco's liberal return policy.

Interesting. My Google Wifi worked great for 6 years or so, and replaced it earlier this year with Nest Wifi Pro, which I'm also quite happy with. Literally the only issue I've ever noticed is variable latency on devices put into a device group so you can control them together (ie, shut kid's stuff off at bedtime). Once devices are removed from the group, they work perfectly all the time.

For some reason the Nest Wifi Pro would randomly go offline at least once a day (no such issue with the TP Link). Also the Nest Wifi Pro must have a weaker antenna, as I still had some deadspots in my house even though I had 4 units (basement, 1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor) and limited coverage in my yard. With the TP Link with just 3 units I have full coverage throughout my house and most of my yard.

[Luke Duke]

If TP Link ever sells a Wifi 6E outdoor unit, I may get one to grt full coverage at the very edges of my yard.

WiFi 6, not 6E
https://www.tp-link.com/us/deco-mesh-wi ... 0-outdoor/

[anon_investor]

If TP Link ever sells a Wifi 6E outdoor unit, I may get one to grt full coverage at the very edges of my yard.

WiFi 6, not 6E
https://www.tp-link.com/us/deco-mesh-wi ... 0-outdoor/

I know, I wish they had a Wifi 6E one.

Not sure if having a WiFi 6 unit on my WiFi 6E setup will cause any issues.

Looks like a Wifi 7 version one is coming out soon:
https://www.tp-link.com/us/deco-mesh-wi ... 5-outdoor/

[wije]

About those TP-Links:

In the letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the lawmakers write, “TP-Link’s unusual degree of vulnerabilities and required compliance with PRC law are in and of themselves disconcerting. When combined with the PRC government’s common use of SOHO [small office/home office] routers like TP-Link to perpetrate extensive cyberattacks in the United States, it becomes significantly alarming.”

https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.g ... routers-us

[anon_investor]

About those TP-Links:

In the letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the lawmakers write, “TP-Link’s unusual degree of vulnerabilities and required compliance with PRC law are in and of themselves disconcerting. When combined with the PRC government’s common use of SOHO [small office/home office] routers like TP-Link to perpetrate extensive cyberattacks in the United States, it becomes significantly alarming.”

https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.g ... routers-us

I read some other articles, and that seems more like fear mongering, as Netgear and Cisco routers were exploited by Chinese intelligence services too.

[tsm1th]

Eero works great for us. The key to getting the most out of a mesh system is to run ethernet / MOCA to all the access points wherever possible. Yes the systems can mesh wireless-to-wireless but the best performance is when you can hardwire every access point.

I can walk around my house (2800sqft / 2 stories) and max out my mobile device's upload and download because I'm always relatively close to an access point and all my access points are hardwired. It's simply amazing! Highly recommend. The other benefit to hardwiring is you don't need to buy the top of the line trip-band equipment, the cheaper ~$100ish dual band work great because the radios are unburdened by backhaul traffic.

[bendix]

I bought two Linksys routers with EasyMesh for $50 each and they work without any issue.